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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. court — of law
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bark — to shout
  12. court — for sport
  13. bore — to drill
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stand — to bear
  16. squash — to crush
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. court — of a king
  20. kid — child
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. squash — the sport
  24. calf — of the leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com